Patent application title: FRONT TRANSPORT FOR CHECK STAND

Abstract:

This invention relates to a front transport for a check stand which has a
combined front roller and motor and an idler roller at the rear end with
a conveyor belt going around both rollers. The front transport has a
mechanism for adjusting the tension and tracking of the conveyor belt
which consists of two bolts on the front end of the front transport near
each side for adjusting a shuttle on each in which a motor mount is
secured. Each shuttle can be moved back and forth by turning the
adjustment bolt. This front transport can have varying lengths as it has
break points in the metal frame for reducing the size of the conveyor
assembly.

Claims:

1. A front transport for inclusion in a check stand, said front transport
having a front end and rear end joined by two sides, said front transport
having a pedestal cabinet at the rear end and a filler cabinet at the
front end, each cabinet having a top and bottom, with the bottom of each
designed to rest on a floor, and a conveyor assembly which has a conveyor
belt extending around an idler roller at the rear end and a front roller
at the front end with a motor to power the front roller, said conveyor
assembly having a frame for support, said conveyor assembly resting on
the top of said cabinets, said front transport being designed for a
shopper in a store to place items to be purchased on the conveyor belt at
the front end of the front transport for transport to the rear end, said
conveyor assembly having means to adjust the tension on the conveyor belt
and the tracking of the conveyor belt over said front and rear rollers to
provide a firm surface to transport items on the conveyor belt by moving
the front roller either away from or towards the rear end of the front
transport at a single adjustment point near each side of said front
transport on the front end, said front transport having means to secure
the pedestal and filler cabinets and conveyor assembly together as the
front transport.

2. The front transport of claim 1 in which the frame for the transport
component is composed of a back section of a fixed length and a front
section which may be manufactured in multiple lengths as desired, with
the back and front section selected being easily fastened together to
complete the manufacture of the frame by utilizing a joining section to
fasten the front and back sections together.

3. The front transport of claim 2 in which the frame is constructed of
metal with the back, front and joining sections being attached together
by metal fasteners.

4. The front transport of claim 1 in which the means to adjust tension and
tracking of the belt consists of two adjustment bolts secured to the
front of the front transport, said adjustment bolts can be turned to move
the front roller away from or towards the rear roller as desired.

5. The front transport of claim 1 in which there is an idler roller to
provide tension on the belt in the midsection of the frame.

6. A front transport for inclusion in a check stand, said front transport
having a front end and rear end joined by two sides, said front transport
having a bottom support for resting on a floor, and a conveyor assembly
which has a conveyor belt extending around an idler roller at the rear
end and a front roller at the front end with a motor to power the front
roller, said conveyor assembly having a frame, said conveyor assembly
resting on said bottom support, said front transport being designed for a
shopper in a store to place items to be purchased on the conveyor belt at
the front end of the front transport for transport to the rear end, said
conveyor assembly having means to adjust the tension on the conveyor belt
and the tracking of the conveyor belt over said front and rear rollers to
provide a firm surface to transport items on the conveyor belt by moving
the front roller either away from or towards the rear end of the front
transport at a single adjustment point near each side of said front
transport on the front end, said front transport having means to secure
the support and conveyor assembly together as the front transport.

7. The front transport of claim 6 in which the means to adjust tension and
tracking of the belt consists of two adjustment bolts secured to the
front of the front transport, said adjustment bolts can be turned to move
the front roller away from or towards the rear roller as desired.

8. A front transport for inclusion in a check stand, said front transport
having a front end and rear end joined by two sides, said front transport
having a bottom support for resting on a floor, and a conveyor assembly
which has a conveyor belt extending around an idler roller at the rear
end and a front roller at the front end with a motor to power the front
roller, said conveyor assembly having a frame, said conveyor assembly
resting on said bottom support, said front transport being designed for a
shopper in a store to place items to be purchased on the conveyor belt at
the front end of the front transport for transport to the rear end, said
front roller having a right and left end and being supported by a mount
on each end which is secured to shuttle which is free to move towards and
away from the rear roller in a bracket firmly attached to each side of
the front transport, with an adjustment bolt secured to the front of the
front transport near each side, with each bolt secured to a shuttle, so
that turning the bolt moves the front roller either away from or towards
the rear roller to adjust the tension on the conveyor belt and the
tracking of the conveyor belt over said front and rear rollers to provide
a firm surface to transport items on the conveyor belt, said front
transport having means to secure the support and conveyor assembly
together as the front transport.

9. The front transport of claim 8 in which the front roller is combined
with an electric motor.

10. A check stand which has a scanner section and rear section where
products that have been scanned can be placed for pick up by customers,
said check stand having a front transport for delivering products being
purchased to the scanner, said front transport having a front end and
rear end joined by two sides, said front transport having a pedestal
cabinet at the rear end and a filler cabinet at the front end, each
cabinet having a top and bottom, with the bottom of each designed to rest
on a floor, and a conveyor assembly which has a conveyor belt extending
around an idler roller at the rear end and a front roller at the front
end with a motor to power the front roller, said conveyor assembly having
a frame, said conveyor assembly resting on the top of said cabinets, said
front transport being designed for a shopper in a store to place items to
be purchased on the conveyor belt at the front end of the front transport
for transport to the rear end, said conveyor assembly having means to
adjust the tension on the conveyor belt and the tracking of the conveyor
belt over said front and rear rollers to provide a firm surface to
transport items on the conveyor belt by moving the front roller either
away from or towards the rear end of the front transport at a single
adjustment point near each side of said front transport on the front end,
said front transport having means to secure the pedestal and filler
cabinets and conveyor assembly together as the front transport.

11. The check stand of claim 10 in which the front roller is combined with
an electric motor.

12. The check stand of claim 11 in which a cash drawer is placed in the
pedestal cabinet in proximity to the conveyor assembly.

13. The check stand of claim 12 in which the means to adjust tension and
tracking of the belt consists of two adjustment bolts secured to the
front of the front transport, said adjustment bolts can be turned to move
the front roller away from or towards the rear roller as desired.

Description:

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001]The present invention generally relates to a new front transport
with a conveyer belt assembly for a check stand for a store.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002]The check stand for a store, where a customer pays for products,
typically has a front transport on which the customer places products to
be checked by the cashier. Many of these check stands have a conveyer
belt which moves the products towards the cashier for scanning and
checkout. This front transport has a front end where customers load the
products and a rear end near where the cashier is located where the
products are taken off of the conveyer belt and scanned by an adjacent
scanner. This front transport has a base support in which various
cabinets are located for access by the cashier. The conveyer belt is
looped around two rollers; one at the front end and the second at the
rear end where the cashier is located. The conveyer belt is moved by an
electric motor driving a roller at the rear end of the front transport.
This motor pulls the top loop of the conveyor belt where the products are
resting from the front to the rear of the front transport.

[0003]A cash drawer is typically located near the rear of the front
transport in the base of the front transport for use by the cashier. The
size of the motor driving the rear roller has required that the cash
drawer be placed closer to the floor than what is desirable for easy
access by the cashier. The American Disabilities Act now requires easier
access to the cash drawer by the cashier. This means that the cash drawer
should be located farther from the floor. To date this has not been
possible because of the size of the rear roller and the motor driving the
roller for the front transport. It would be desirable if a front
transport could be developed where the cash drawer could be raised
farther from the floor.

[0004]In order for the front transport to operate satisfactorily, the
conveyer belt needs to be on the correct track from right to left and
also under the proper tension to run smoothly. The mechanism for putting
tension on the conveyer belt and for establishing the proper tracking of
the conveyer belt presently is located at the rear of the front
transport. This is an inconvenient location in order to make the
necessary adjustments because of the location of cabinets in this
location.

[0005]Different types of stores require a front transport of different
lengths. The different lengths are required because of the type of
merchandise and the type of operation the store is conducting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006]The front transport of this invention has a drive motor and front
roller that is placed at the front end of the transport where the
products are loaded by the customer. The idler roller, which is smaller
in diameter than the front roller, is placed at the rear end of the front
transport near where the scanner or cashier is located. A second idler
roller may be placed in the middle of the front transport at the bottom
to take up belt slack by applying pressure to the returning belt. Putting
the motor at the front end of the transport results in pushing the belt
along the top surface of the base of the front transport towards the
cashier. This arrangement allows the cash drawer to be placed near the
rear of the front transport adjacent the scanner or cashier section. The
smaller diameter of the idler roller allows the cash drawer to be placed
farther from the floor when the front transport has been installed.

[0007]Shuttles are used in which the mounts for the combined motor and
front roller are secured for adjusting the tension and tracking of the
conveyor belt on the rollers. Shuttles support the electric motor and in
turn are supported by support brackets on each side at the front end of
the front transport. Tension and tracking of the belt on the rollers is
adjusted by a right and left bolt placed on the front end of the
transport which pulls the shuttle back and forth to adjust the tension
and tracking of the belt.

[0008]Efficiency in manufacture and assembly of the front transport is
achieved by the use of modular construction. The marketplace demands
front transports of different lengths and with different features. These
demands are met by conceptually breaking the front transport into three
basic modules. A pedestal cabinet, which can be provided in a length of
38 inches, is used to support the conveyer assembly. The pedestal cabinet
can be composed of two compartments that are 14 inches and 24 inches in
length. These compartments can have shelves, drawers and a number of
other features. A filler cabinet of variable lengths, such as 16, 22, 28,
34, 40 and 46 inches, is provided to support the conveyor assembly. The
variable lengths of the filler cabinet allow for the production of front
transports of different lengths. These transports of different lengths
can be constructed very easily because of the modular construction
applied to the filler cabinet. The conveyor assembly consists of the
conveyor belt, motor, idler roller and frame for support. The rear end of
the conveyor assembly has a fixed length, while the front end has a
variable length.

[0009]By using this modular construction it is possible to easily
manufacture a right or left handed unit as required by the marketplace.
Each of the modules and sub-modules are preferably formed from sheet
metal panels and common hardware parts which enables the length of the
front transport to be easily varied.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with
reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are
not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly
illustrating the principles of the present invention. Moreover, in the
drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts
throughout the several views.

[0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front transport of this
invention.

[0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the conveyor assembly of this
invention.

[0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the front end of the front transport
of this invention.

[0014]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the front end of the front transport
showing the components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0015]This invention relates to an improved front transport for a check
stand in which customers in a store place products to be scanned, paid
for, bagged and taken out of the store. This front transport of the check
stand is illustrated in FIG. 1. The check stand also has a scanner
section and a rear end for the bagging of products for taking out of the
store, which are not illustrated.

[0016]The following Parts Number List is provided for convenience in
understanding the drawings.

[0017]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front transport of this
invention.

[0018]The front transport 10 is similar in appearance to current front
transports that are used with check stands. The front transport 10 has a
front end 12 where customers load products to be purchased. It also has a
rear end 14, which is located next to where the cashier stands. Products
are conveyed from the front end 12 to the rear end 14 by a conveyer 16. A
pedestal cabinet 18 and filler cabinet 20 support the front transport 10.
The conveyor has a length L which may be easily varied in manufacture.
The pedestal cabinet 18 typically has a set length and the filler cabinet
20 may have a length that is varied depending upon need of the purchaser.

[0019]The conveyor assembly 26 is best illustrated in FIG. 2. The conveyor
assembly 26 has a conveyor belt 28 which is looped around front roller 35
with a motor (FIG. 4) and a rear end idler roller 30 and a center idler
roller 32 to take slack out of the conveyor belt 28. Since the motor is
located at the front end 34 of the front transport more space is provided
at the rear end 14 so that a cash drawer 24 can be located farther from
the floor for the convenience of the cashier and to satisfy the
requirements of the American's Disability Act. It is located close to the
scanner location 22 for the convenience of the cashier who stands
adjacent that location. As shown in FIG. 4, a right and left belt
adjustment shuttle 38 and 60 is provided for the support of the front
roller and motor 35. Right shuttle 38 slides back and forth in right
support bracket 40. Motor right end mount 66 is secured in right slot 56
of shuttle 38. The motor left end mount (not shown) is secured in left
slot 58 of left belt adjustment shuttle 60. Right and left adjustment
bolts 42, 44 are secured in right and left threaded apertures 62 and 64.
Right support bracket 40 is secured to the frame 48. The right and left
shuttles 38, 60 along with front roller 35 move freely back and forth
with the shuttles sliding freely in the support brackets. There is a left
carrier bracket adjustment bolt 44 attached to left shuttle 60. Adjusting
both of the bolts 42 and 44 will increase tension on the belt while
adjusting one or the other of the bolts 42 and 44 will effect the
tracking of the belt. This adjustment can be made without moving the
front transport or removing any panel for accomplishing the adjustment.

[0020]Because stores have different requirements for the front transport,
they frequently want front transports of different lengths. This can be
accomplished by designing and building the conveyor assembly 26 having a
fixed length FL and a variable length VL. The fixed length is usually 38
inches in length which is the same length as the pedestal cabinet 18 upon
which it rests. The fixed length FL of the conveyor assembly 26 is
illustrated in FIG. 2. The filler cabinet 20 is typically offered in the
following lengths: 16 inches, 22 inches, 28 inches, 34 inches, 40 inches
and 46 inches. The filler cabinet 20 also supports the conveyor assembly
26. The conveyor assembly 26 has a variable length VL which can be
shortened at a series of break points 46 where the frame 48 can be
shortened. It is then only necessary to provide the appropriate length
for the conveyor belt 28. The fixed section 52 of the conveyor assembly
50 is attached to the variable section 54 of the conveyor assembly by
joining section 50 on each side of the frame 48. Since the frame 48 of
the conveyor assembly 26 is usually made of steel the joining section 50
can be simply welded to put the fixed section 52 and variable section 54
together.

[0021]Trim panels can be used to cover the basic structure of the front
transport 10. The trim panels can be produced in the appropriate size and
length to accommodate the basic structure of the front transport 10. The
modular structure of this front transport 10 permits easy assembly into
either a left hand or right hand front transport.

[0022]By placing the rear end idler roller 30 at the rear end 14 of the
front transport 10, more vertical space is provided for the location of
the cash drawer 24. Placing the drive motor at the front end 12 of the
front transport facilitated the development of an adjustment system is
based upon only two adjustment points. In the past, three to four
adjustment points were required at the motor access and idler rollers
which was more complicated and required the removement of panels to
accomplish the adjustment. The placement of the roller 35 combined with
the motor at the front end results in the belt being pushed along the top
surface of the conveyor assembly 26 rather than being pulled as in the
present front transports. The second idler belt roller as shown by the
arrow in FIG. 1 been added to take out belt slack and control the belt
path by lifting the belt to create space for the cash drawer.